Musician-turned-fashion designer Pharrell Williams hosted some of the world's biggest celebrities at a special event ahead of the Paris Olympics.
Williams, who is Louis Vuitton's men's creative director, has hosted the likes of Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Snoop Dogg, LeBron James, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Baz Luhrmann in Australia at the iconic brand's headquarters.
The glittering event, titled The Prelude to the Olympics, coincided with the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games.
While it was an opportunity for some of the world's biggest names to strut their stuff in some stunning apparel, animal rights group PETA also took the opportunity to disrupt the event and make a statement special.
Two supporters of PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, crashed the party and waved signs urging Williams to stop using animal skins in fashion.
PETA released a statement from its vice president of corporate projects, Yvonne Taylor.
“While Pharrell lives it up in celebrity-filled restaurants, vulnerable animals condemned to death for their 'fashion' choices languish in pain and filth on farms and ranches -killing animals, which will be crushed or surrounded alive,” he said. read.
“PETA is calling on Pharrell to end his association with cruelty and help Louis Vuitton escape the dark ages by phasing out the use of vintage leather and fur. “
The protesters were holding signs that read “Pharrell: Stop killing animals for fashion,” and the couple were later removed by security.
PETA also managed to post a series of similar messages and contrasting images all over the Eiffel Tower.
It continued the start of the Olympic Games for the organizers of Paris.
Less than 12 hours before the opening ceremony, a coordinated act of “sabotage” on the Paris rail network hit Olympic organizers hard.
